


Tinker Tailor Soldier Wizard

by mishaberlioz



Category: Night Watch AU - Fandom, Nochnoy Dozor | Night Watch - Sergei Lukyanenko, The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Dresden Files Fusion, Case Fic, Cold War, Comedy, Culture Shock, Gen, Harry Dresden in Russia, Humor, Magic, Mystery, POV First Person, Urban Fantasy, culture clash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23695045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mishaberlioz/pseuds/mishaberlioz
Summary: Harry Dresden travels to Moscow to rescue a missing faerie of the Summer Court. He teams up with the Russian Night Watch, but soon finds himself at odds with a powerful Dark magician. Meanwhile, someone has been carrying out a series of bizarre murders all over Moscow. Are the two cases connected? And can Harry track down the fae before someone else does?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As far as the Dresden Files are concerned, this is an AU set in the Night Watch universe with Dresden as a character. It doesn't follow the Dresden Files timeline or canon, but does include some elements of it.
> 
> For the Night Watch series - the story takes place within the timeframe of Night Watch (or four months after the events of Story 1 - Destiny)

**_Harry Dresden - May 1998_ **

As soon as they told me the Russians were involved, I knew I was in trouble.

I glanced out the window at the mass of clouds below. We were flying over Yugoslavia, or whatever the heck Yugoslavia was called now. The cloud cover was pretty thick, but I could catch glimpses of lakes, forests and small towns. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but from that height it actually looked pretty nice. Not exactly the concrete-paved Soviet hellscape you saw in the movies. 

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, wondering how much longer I’d be stuck in this sardine can. I couldn’t stretch out my legs, and the backrest of the seat in front of me was pressing against my knees. And to make things extra fun, my magic tends to mess with technology. So every time we went through a bit of turbulence, I had a mini heart attack thinking I’d nuked the engines. And my head was slowly roasting inside my giant fur hat. Believe me, I wasn’t wearing it to look cool - it was enchanted to help the wearer understand spoken Russian.

But I wasn’t all that eager to reach my destination either. To tell the truth, I wasn’t even completely sure why I’d gotten the job. When my mentor, Ebenezar McCoy, had offered me the assignment of tracking down a missing faerie of the Summer Court, I’d thought he was pulling my leg. And when he added that the faerie girl had been last seen in  _ Moscow _ of all places, I’d been sure he was developing senile dementia. But he was serious, and he’d said that this was a golden opportunity to get on the Summer Court’s good side. He’d informed me in no uncertain terms that only a total idiot would pass it up. And I don’t trust many people, but I trust Ebenezar. So I’d taken the job, and now I had plenty of time to think about the mess I’d gotten myself into -

“Something to eat or drink?”

I looked up, grateful for the distraction from my thoughts. A tall woman with platinum blond hair was standing in the aisle with a cart of drinks. I’m not sure why it is that European flight attendants are always stunningly attractive, but there you have it. 

Accustomed to being broke, I said no thanks out of habit. It was only after she’d moved a couple of rows further that I remembered that I didn’t have to count pennies on this job. I’d been given a generous advance to cover food and expenses, as well as half the fee up front and... let’s just say that I’d never seen so many zeroes on a cheque with my name on it. I’m not a money-minded guy, but business had been slow and rent doesn’t pay itself. 

I fidgeted some more and leaned my face against the window. Sweat was trickling down into my face, so I gave in and took off the hat. The thing was over a hundred years old - Ebenezar had fought in the Crimean War sometime in the 1800s and brought it back with him. But I didn’t have much use for it just then, since the two guys next to me had spent most of the flight complaining about Yeltsin. 

The plane jolted a little and my stomach lurched. We’d be landing in Moscow soon, and then I’d have bigger things to worry about than my poor fashion choices. The case itself was bad enough, but I was also supposed to collaborate with the Russian authorities, namely the Night Watch. I’d been a little spooked by the name, but Ebenezar had explained that the Light wizards keep watch at night since that’s when the baddies come out. I haven’t had the best relationship with magical law enforcement, so let’s just say that I wasn’t too thrilled to be working with Russia’s version of the White Council. 

And there may have been a _tiny_ little part of me that was nervous about ending up on a one-way vacation in Siberia. I mean, I know the Cold War is over and the Russians aren’t the bad guys any more...but I grew up watching Red Dawn, okay? Cut me a little slack.

The plane hit a patch of turbulence and bounced around like a bit of corn in the popper. I groaned, pressing a hand to my face. 

I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Hey, Yankee. Are you sick?”

I turned slowly and gulped. The guy looking down at me could have been Ivan Drago’s older, scarier uncle. I smiled weakly and tried not to look scared. 

“Just a little stressed,” I said. “I’m not going to puke or anything.”

“Good.” He nodded once, and cast a curious glance at my black canvas duster and cowboy boots. “So what is this costume for? You are actor?”

I gulped, feeling like a bug pinned to a museum display board. Back home in Chicago, I’m pretty open about being a wizard. I even put an ad in the phone book. But I wasn’t in the US anymore, and I didn’t really feel like ending up in some top-secret lab in Siberia. What if this guy wasn’t just an ordinary passenger? What if he was some kind of undercover agent?

Drago Sr. frowned and peered at my face. “What? Is something wrong?”

Stars and stones...what the hell was I supposed to say? Since I’d never tried to hide that I was a wizard, I didn’t have a cover story prepared. And I’m a crappy liar - if I tried to make something up, he would know. Especially if he had secret KGB lie-detection training. 

But then, no one back home ever believed me when I talked about magic. Maybe I could tell the truth and he’d figure I was just some kooky American? 

I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “I’m a wizard.”

***

**_Anton Gorodetsky -_ _Night Watch Headquarters, Moscow_**

When the boss told me that the Americans were sending an investigator to Moscow, I knew things were about to get messy. 

We were sitting in his office with the afternoon sun streaming in the window. The ancient air conditioner had broken down again, and the small, closed office was slowly becoming a sauna. Outside, cyclists and pedestrians were enjoying the warmer weather, but the sight didn’t bring me any joy. When people flocked to the streets like that, they made themselves easy prey for the unsavoury elements. There was always a spike in vampire attacks in early summer, and all of us field agents had to put in extra hours to keep things under control.

And now we’d have an American to worry about on top of everything else.

“What are they accusing us of this time?” I asked. “Vampires at Disney World? Werewolves in the Empire State Building?”

“They’re not accusing us of anything,” Gesar said. “In fact, they want to collaborate on a matter of mutual interest. A rather high-profile missing person whom they believe to be in Moscow.” He leaned back in his chair and looked at me over steepled fingers. “Tell me, Gorodetsky, what do you know about the magical community in America?”

I considered for a moment. I’d heard bits and pieces about how the Americans ran things, but nothing too detailed. “Well,I know they’re a bit old-fashioned,” I said. “Robes and Latin chanting and all that sort of thing. And...and I’ve heard they’ve got all sorts of magical creatures there. Elves and fairies and that sort of thing. Is that actually true?”

“It is, but they’re not the little elves you see in the cartoons,” Gesar said, frowning a little. “They are more like the Fair Folk of the Celtic myths. Beautiful, immortal, and utterly inhuman.” 

My interest was piqued. Every time you think you’ve understood how the magical world works, you learn something else to turn it all on its head. 

“So are they Dark or Light?” I asked curiously. I’d read somewhere that the Fair Folk were believed to steal human children, but they also helped people they took a liking to. “Where do they come from? And why don’t we ever see any in Russia?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never met one myself,” Gesar said, his tone almost dismissive. “I’m sure Mr. Dresden can tell you anything you want to know.”

“Dresden? Is that the guy the Americans are sending?”

Gesar nodded. “He’s landing at Sheremetyevo at seven this evening. You can take one of the office cars to pick him up.”

“Since when do we pick up foreign visitors at the airport? Is this guy some sort of big shot?”

Gesar gave me an irritated look. “I thought you might as well get to know each other, seeing as you’ll be working together.”

“Working  _ together? _ ” I stared at Gesar in disbelief. “You’re putting  _ me  _ on this case? Why?”

“Russia is very different from America,” he said. “It’s not unusual for foreigners to have a hard time adjusting. I need someone to accompany him to make sure everything goes smoothly. You speak English, and you’re also the only one I can spare right now. No one else is free -”

“I’m not free either!” I protested. “Tiger Cub and I are tracking down that Dark Magician. We’ve got one person dead and two more in a hypothermic coma. I don’t have time to babysit some American cowboy.” 

“There is no place for that attitude on this job,” Gesar said sharply. “Mr. Dresden isn’t responsible for the history between our two countries, and I expect you to treat him like any other colleague. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, boss,” I grumbled. “But what about my other case? It’s not fair to make Tiger Cub handle it alone -”

“I’ll assign Olga to help her if she needs it,” Gesar said. “Besides, our clairvoyants are suggesting there’s a link between that case and Mr. Dresden’s.”

“A link? What link?”

“We don’t know. That’s for the two of you to figure out.” Gesar reached into his desk and produced a folder full of documents, sliding them to me across his desk. “These are the details of the case, along with some background information about Mr. Dresden. Good luck, Anton.”

I opened my mouth to object, but the boss had that look on his face - the one that said quite clearly that the matter was closed. I knew from long experience that trying to argue with a two thousand-year-old magician is an exercise in frustration. 

__ ***

Three hours later, I was standing in the arrivals area at Sheremetyevo Airport, holding a sign with Dresden’s name in both Latin characters and Cyrillic. I checked my watch and glowered at the closed doors. I had a sneaking suspicion that I was only there because Gesar wanted to make a good impression on the American. It all felt a little too much like a performance for my taste - especially when there were urgent cases to be solved. 

The doors opened and the passengers started streaming out. None of them looked anything out of the ordinary, but then wizards never do. At least not in the regular world.

I closed my eyes and looked through into the Twilight. At once the world became grey and colourless, except for the people, who were enveloped in shimmering colours. I scanned the auras of the people coming out of the gate. I could only see humans, not a single magic user among them. Where was he?

A tall guy with greying hair glanced at my sign and strolled over,grinning. 

“Here for Dresden, eh? Are you a wizard too?”

I nearly choked. “W-what do you mean, ‘wizard’?”

“What, you mean he didn’t tell you?” The guy’s smile widened. “Apparently Chicago’s overrun with witches and vampires and this guy’s job is to fight them. And when I asked him what he was doing in Russia, he said he was looking for a missing fairy. Can you believe it?”

I just stood there, speechless with horror. Dresden hadn’t even set foot on Russian soil, and he’d already broken the law by revealing himself to a human. I couldn’t just let it go...but if I came down too hard on him, we’d have the Americans all up in arms. 

“Did – did anyone else hear?” I asked faintly, wondering how bad the damage was. If we had to wipe the memories of an entire plane….

“The engines were pretty loud, but I think half our row was listening.” The guy chuckled. “It was better than the X-files. The guy’s got a real talent.”

I took a deep breath, mentally berating Dresden for his stupidity. The guy seemed to have taken the whole thing as a joke, but I couldn’t afford to take any chances. I looked up and stared into his eyes. 

“You have never met Harry Dresden,” I intoned. 

“I have never met Harry Dresden,” he repeated obediently. 

“The man seated beside you did not introduce himself. He slept through the whole flight. You don’t remember what he looked like.”

The guy echoed my words back to me. Once I was satisfied that every trace of the memory had been removed, I sent him on his way. 

Then I called our Intelligence Centre to report the incident. Tolik was on duty, and he didn’t seem to appreciate the seriousness of the situation. He was still laughing when I hung up the phone. 

Fuming, I turned back to the passengers coming towards me. A handful of girls, maybe a soccer team….a couple of serious business-types talking intently…a family with three children, and….

Oh, no.

The American drew stares the moment he stepped out. Part of it was his height – he was head and shoulders above everyone else. He wore a long black coat that billowed around him like a cape, he had an army duffel over his shoulder, and in his left hand he held a heavy wooden staff. And to complete the picture, he was wearing cowboy boots and an enormous ushanka hat right out of Dr. Zhivago. In May. 

It wasn’t that he looked  _ bad _ , exactly. It would have been all right for a costume party or a theatre performance. But in a place as utterly mundane as Sheremetyevo Airport, he looked completely absurd.

He stopped walking and looked around uncertainly. It occurred to me that Sheremetyevo must be for someone who’d never been there before. And of course he wouldn’t be able to read most of the signage. 

He started in one direction, then hesitated and turned around again. Then he finally noticed me and the sign, and his eyes widened a little. He walked over to me, hoisting the duffel bag higher on his shoulder. 

“Uh...hi.” He glanced from me to the sign, looking a bit surprised. “I wasn’t expecting you guys to send someone to pick me up. I could have just caught a cab.”

“It’s not a problem,” I said. “I’m Anton Gorodetsky.” 

“Harry Dresden. Nice to meet you.”

We shook hands, and I fought down the urge to demand what the hell he was thinking, announcing that he was a wizard to a plane full of humans. I couldn’t have that discussion in the middle of the airport. We’d have to go somewhere more private.

It turned out that Dresden didn’t have any luggage aside from the duffel bag, so I started towards the parking lot where I’d left the office Zhiguli. I was still irritated and somewhat tempted to tell him off, so I decided to say nothing for the time being. Dresden was quiet too, following a couple of paces behind me. 

“So, uh, thanks for coming,” he said after some time. “I’d’ve spent a whole lot of time wandering around if I was by myself. So...thanks.”

I looked at him, a bit surprised that it would occur to him to thank me. I felt some of my irritation seep away. He was from a foreign country with different ways of doing things - it was almost inevitable that he’d make some mistakes. I decided to cut him a bit of slack. 

“You’re welcome,” I said. “Did you like the sign? My boss wouldn’t let me put the stars and stripes on it.”

“The sign was perfect,” Dresden assured me. “What does the Russian part say? ‘Beware of dumbass American’?” 

That got a laugh out of me. “I’m sorry, but if you’re going to wear that hat, the sign would be redundant.”

“I’m not wearing it to look cool,” he muttered. “It’s enchanted to let me understand when people speak Russian.”

“Oh, yes? And what have you heard so far?”

Dresden sighed. “Mostly they just talk about how stupid my hat is.”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**_Harry Dresden_ **

I followed the Russian wizard through the airport and tried to look like I wasn’t scared shitless. The guy was wearing a light blue polo shirt and still managed to look sinister and forbidding. And I was getting a kind of pissed-off vibe from him, as if I’d already managed to annoy him somehow. Or maybe it was just his face. 

“Excuse me, um, Mr. Gorodetsky? Is there an information desk around anywhere?”

He turned around. “What information do you need?”

“Oh...I was going to ask about hotels around here. I didn’t get the chance to make a reservation before I left.”

“I know a place. I will take you there.”

I gulped and fought down the urge to run for my life. I told myself that the ‘place’ was most likely a hotel and not an abandoned quarry somewhere. Besides, there was no point running now - I had nowhere to go.

_ Damn it, Ebenezar. Why did you get me into this? _

“And, um, where are we going now?” I asked timidly. “Is there a bus station near here, or -”

“To the car park. I will drive.”

Hell’s bells.

By the time we reached the parking garage, my heart was in my boots. I’d been hoping we’d take a bus or something, so I could sit far away from the engine. My track record with vehicles isn’t the greatest, and I figured that blowing up the guy’s car wouldn’t make the best first impression.

My spirits lifted a little when I saw the car - it was a boxy green thing with chipped paint. It’s the fancy cars, the ones with all the bells and whistles, that get really messed up by magic. Simpler models aren’t as affected by it, and this one looked like it had a decent shot.

“What kind of car is this?” I asked. The logo looked vaguely familiar, but I didn’t remember the make.

“A Zhiguli. Outside of Russia, they call them Ladas.”

Right, the Soviet car. I’d never seen one before, but I’d heard they were...well, rudimentary. That was probably why Gorodetsky drove one - less interference. 

“Do you think the magic will be a problem?” I asked, just to be sure. “I mean, will it run okay with both of us in the car?”

He gave me a look as if I’d just shoved a crayon up my nose. “The car does not run on magic,” he said slowly. “It runs on gasoline.”

“I know that!” I protested. “I meant the magical interference. You know how cars tend to break down when a wizard is driving?”

Now he just seemed confused. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said after a moment. “Maybe you are just bad at driving.”

I frowned. Did he really not know how magic affected technology? It would have been impossible not to notice...or maybe the Russians were somehow immune?

And wasn’t  _ that  _ a comforting thought. Wizards who could use missile launchers…

“Dresden!” 

Gorodetsky was already sitting in the driver’s seat and looking at me impatiently, so I folded myself into the car and slammed the door. The ceiling was so low that I had to keep my head bent, and my knees were jammed against the glove compartment. Ah, the joys of being six foot nine. 

He drove out of the parking garage and onto a freeway. It was already dark, but I could make out grassy fields and trees along the sides of the road. I suddenly realized that I had no idea where he was planning on taking me. Most of the signs were in Russian, but I was relieved to spot one that said ‘Moscow’ in English. So at least he wasn’t driving me to Siberia or something. I was just plucking up the courage to ask, but he spoke first. 

“I met your seatmate from the plane,” he said flatly. “It seems you were quite talkative.”

I glanced at him sideways. The guy had exactly one facial expression, so it was hard to tell whether he was angry or just making conversation.

“We talked a bit,” I said warily. “He seemed like a decent guy.” It was true, Drago Senior had turned out to be pretty friendly once you got him talking. He’d even given me his business card and offered to buy me and my magic friends a round of drinks. 

Gorodetsky’s jaw tightened. “He said you told him you are a wizard.”

“Yeah, I did,” I admitted. “Is that a problem? He didn’t believe any of it -”

“ _ It doesn’t matter!”  _ he barked. “You broke the fucking law!”

I drew back in alarm, wondering if I could survive jumping out of the car. He was obviously furious, his face set in rigid lines. His fingers were turning white on the steering wheel and the worst of it was that I had no idea which law I’d broken. 

“Is-is it a Russian thing?” I stammered. “I didn’t get to read up on everything before I came-”

“Don’t play stupid,” he growled. “Is it legal in America to announce magic to the world?”

“Uh….yeah?” I scratched my head. “I mean, there’s no law against it. I have an ad in the phone book -”

“The  _ phone book? _ ” He twisted to face me and the car veered towards the shoulder. “You’re out of your-” 

“The road!” I shouted, gripping the door handle. “You’re going off the road!”

He quickly turned back and righted the car. “The phone book,” he repeated. “Fucking incredible.”

_Just like your driving._ But I kept the thought to myself. My heartbeat gradually returned to normal, and I slowly released the handle.

Gorodetsky stared grimly at the road ahead. “I don’t care what you do in America,” he said. “You are in Russia now. Keep your mouth shut. Understood?”

“ _ Da, Comrade,”  _ I mumbled. 

He didn’t say a word, just turned slowly to give me a look that would have incinerated a tank.   


I gulped. “I mean, understood.”

That sort of put a damper on conversation. We sat there without a word, listening to the coughs and groans of the engine. I sank lower in my seat, wondering what the Russians did with wizards who broke the law. Would they arrest me? Were they allowed to put foreigners in jail? My stomach tied itself in knots and I took deep breaths, trying to stay calm.

We were getting close. I could see the city lights ahead, and the outlines of skyscrapers. There wasn’t much time left. I’d have to speak up. 

“What happens to me now?” I asked, hoping I sounded less nervous than I felt. “Are you taking me to jail?”

Gorodetsky snorted. “There would be no point. Human jails can’t hold a wizard.”

Well, that was...encouraging. No jail was a good thing, right? I was starting to feel just the tiniest bit better, but it turned out that he wasn’t done talking. 

“We do not usually incarcerate magical criminals,” he went on. “Generally, they are put to trial and executed.”

Oh. 

My insides turned to water and I fought down another wave of panic.

“Are you, um, are you going to do that with me?”

Gorodetsky didn’t answer, which I figured was answer enough. I leaned my head against the window and ran through escape plans. Maybe I should act now, while it was still one on one - I grab the steering wheel and crash the car, or throw a fireball at him...but then, I didn’t know what he was capable of. Maybe he was trained in top secret Black Ops magic, or -

“I don’t understand it,” he said abruptly. “If you don’t make any effort to hide magic in America, why haven’t they discovered you yet?”

“Because they don’t want to,” I said. “It’s scary to believe that there are monsters out there that can kill you. And people don’t like being scared, so no matter what proof they see, they’ll always talk themselves out of it.”

“Maybe in America,” Gorodetsky snorted. “It’s not like that here.”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “The humans here are not so blind. Our office is officially an electricity company, that’s our cover story. But once in awhile the KGB gets suspicious and sends a guy to plant bugs. Or some oligarch looking for properties to buy out will send a spy to look around. And even the ordinary people, they pay attention. If something strange happens, they notice.”

I gawked at him, wondering if I’d heard wrong. “Wait a second. Did you just say the freaking  _ KGB  _ is trying to wiretap your office?”

“Well, the FSB, that’s what they’re called now."

I swallowed hard, feeling goosebumps prickle on my arms. “But they don’t  _ know,  _ do they?”

Gorodetsky didn’t answer right away. He turned off the highway onto a huge multilane road. The buildings were taller and kind of historical-looking, so I figured we were getting close to the downtown. There were still lots of cars on the road even though it was almost nine. 

“Most likely, someone there knows something,” he said eventually. “It’s almost impossible to keep something completely secret. But we have people working there to keep things quiet.” He paused to floor the gas and overtake a slow-moving tour bus. “Maybe that guy didn’t believe you, but little things add up. If you tell one person, they tell their friends, and with enough minor incidents, people start to put things together. Or the wrong person overhears something.” He glanced at me. “But by then, you’d be long gone.”

Holy shit. 

I’d always thought that it would be  _ better  _ for people to stop being so clueless and open their eyes to the dangers that were out there. But it hadn’t occurred to me that things were different in other parts of the world, that people  _ were  _ watching. And that they could be dangerous.

“I’m really sorry,” I said quietly. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just...he asked me why I was going to Russia, and I panicked. I didn’t want to make something up because I’m a really bad liar and I was afraid he’d be able to tell.”

Gorodetsky frowned. “But you must have known he wouldn’t believe that story.”

“That’s what I was banking on,” I said. “He thought I was just a wacky foreigner, nothing to worry about. But if I lied and said I was an accountant, and he could tell I was lying, that would have seemed way more suspicious.” I stopped to catch my breath. “Does that make any sense?”

“That is completely insane,” he said, and my heart sank.

“But,” he continued grudgingly, “I can understand why you did it.”

Thank the stars...a wave of relief poured through me. “So...you’re not going to put me on trial?”

“No,” he said darkly. “Not this time.” 

***

**_Anton Gorodetsky_ **

The American looked so genuinely contrite that it was difficult to stay annoyed with him. Yes, he had been careless, but his reasoning made a strange sort of sense. And if Americans really were as clueless as he said, it was no wonder he wasn’t worried about discovery. 

I even felt a bit guilty for shouting at him, but he had to understand that things were different here. A little fear might keep him out of trouble. 

Since he didn’t have a hotel reservation, I decided to drop him off at the Gagarin. It was in one of the more tourist-friendly parts of Moscow, so there would be plenty of people who spoke English and limited potential for Dresden to get himself into trouble. The place was comfortable and not outrageously overpriced. Anyway, Dresden had come with American currency, so he could probably buy half the hotel if he wanted. 

I had been getting steadily hungrier since we had left the airport, and by the time I turned onto the Garden Ring, I couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Do you want to get something to eat?” I suggested. Dresden had been slumped against the window looking downcast, but he sat up at once. 

“Yes! Uh, I mean, yeah, that would be great.” He looked relieved, as if he’d been waiting for me to make the suggestion. “I need to get a pizza. Are there any pizza places around here?”

I sighed, because of course the American would ask for fast food. Now where was I supposed to find a pizza at this time of night?

“How about Georgian food?” I suggested. “There’s a place close by, you’d like it. Or...I could take you to McDonalds if you want.”

Dresden shook his head regretfully. “That sounds great, but it kind of has to be pizza, sorry.”

“What do you mean, it  _ has to be? _ ” I asked, incredulous. “Can’t you eat something different for once?”

“I’m not just being picky, I swear!” Dresden glanced around and lowered his voice. “I can’t say too much now because my protections aren’t set up, but...there’s a friend of mine who gives me information sometimes. I really need to know if he’s heard anything new, but he won’t show up unless there’s pizza.”

“Do you pay him for this information?”

“Nope,” Dresden replied. “At least, not in cash. Just pizza.”

That was...strange. I had never heard of an informer who worked for food...let alone for one specific type of food. But Dresden seemed like the type of person who would have odd friends, and I was too hungry to argue.

After some circling, I managed to find a pizza restaurant, where Dresden ordered a pizza to go and some Coke. 

We arrived at the hotel just as someone was vacating a street parking space, so I slid in before anyone else could take it. Dresden undid his seatbelt and opened the door. 

“So, I guess this is where I get down,” he said. “Where’s your office? I could meet you there tomorrow -”

“What about this informer of yours? I want to meet him.”

Dresden shifted uneasily. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. This guy’s pretty temperamental, and if he gets offended, he won’t tell us anything”

I got out of the car, frowning. “What, you think I’m going to offend him?”

Dresden sputtered. “Um - well…”

“Exactly, I won’t. Let’s go.”

***

“Huh.” Dresden stopped on the threshold of the hotel room, and looked around. “This is actually nice.”

“Why have you stopped there?” I asked impatiently from behind him. “Either go in or come out.”

“It’s...nice,” he repeated. “To be honest, I was sort of still expecting you to drop me off at a jail.”

Shaking my head, I slid past him and shut the door behind me. The room was decorated in an old-fashioned style, with ornately patterned wallpaper and thick maroon carpeting. The small desk and chair were stained wood, and there was an armchair by the window in the same colour as the carpet. Dresden put the pizza box down on the desk, and I wondered if it would be rude to start eating before the informer arrived. Probably, I decided. Especially if he really was easily offended.

He seemed to guess what I was thinking. “Help yourself. He shouldn’t be much longer.”

“I’m not that hungry,” I said unconvincingly. “I’ll wait.”

“No, it’s fine. He doesn’t eat that much.” For some reason, he smiled. “He’s kind of a little guy.”

My good manners didn’t stretch quite far enough for me to refuse a second time. I helped myself to slice and sat down in the desk chair to eat it, trying not to drop bits of it everywhere. The thing was shiny with oil and piled with melted cheese and various types of meat. Really, it was a wonder that the Americans hadn’t all died of heart failure. But I had to admit, with some annoyance, that it was actually pretty good.

Dresden took a slice as well, and sat down in the armchair. There was still no sign of the mysterious informer, and I decided that might as well talk about the case while we were waiting. I had read the report Dresden had sent us, but it hadn’t made much sense. There was a lot unexplained, as if it was common knowledge that I simply didn’t know about.

“Tell me about this missing girl you’re looking for,” I said. “Do you still think the Winter Court is responsible?”

“Don’t see who else it could be,” Dresden said, taking a drink of his Coke. “The Summer Court doesn’t have many other enemies - at least none crazy enough to pull a stunt like this. Octavia - that’s her name - isn’t one of the Summer Queens, but she’s a relative of theirs. And she’s close friends with the Summer Lady.”

I sighed. Every question he answered brought up more words I didn’t know, but I would ask about these Summer People later. “This Winter Court - are they Dark?”

Dresden shook his head. “The Faerie Courts aren’t Light or Dark. They just...don’t have any morality, at least not the way humans think of it. That’s what makes them so dangerous.”

“Then why are they called Summer and Winter? Are those just names?”

Dresden stared at me. “Do you...actually not know this?”

I didn’t answer. I had been wondering the same thing, with mounting unease. These faeries seemed to have a complex society, with titles and hierarchies. Had Gesar really forgotten to mention them? Or did the rest of the Watch know and it was just me who was left out? And why hadn’t these faeries ever turned up in Russia?

Dresden took my silence as an answer. “Okay, well, Summer and Winter are opposing forces,” he explained. “They do different kinds of magic, the Winter Fae use cold magic, but the Summer Court use warmth -”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupted “What do you mean, cold magic?”

“Like snow and ice, or freezing things.” Dresden glanced around, frowning. “Where the heck is Toot-Toot? He usually turns up at the first sign of pizza....”

But I had stopped paying attention. My mind was racing.  _ Cold magic.  _ I remembered my own case...three victims cursed by an unknown practitioner. All three showed signs of hypothermia...two were comatose and the third was dead, his heart frozen solid....On all of them, we had found traces of a strange, alien magic that we couldn’t identify. And hadn’t Gesar said the two cases were connected?

“He should be here by now.” Dresden was on his feet, pacing anxiously, apparently worrying about his mysterious informer. “He usually turns up at the first sight of pizza.”

“He’s probably stuck in traffic,” said impatiently. “Just call him. But first, tell me about this ‘cold magic’ -” I broke off suddenly, staring at him. “What...”

Dresden was holding a slice of pizza and waving it around in front of him. As I watched, frozen in shock, he began to speak loudly to the empty air.

“Hey, Toot-Toot? You there, buddy? Got some pizza here for you…”

“Dresden!” I hissed as soon as I could form words. “What are you doing?”

“Calling him,” Dresden said impatiently, and called out again: “Come on, Toot-Toot, any day now-”

“Are you crazy? I meant call him with a phone!”

“He’s a pixie. They don’t use phones.” At my bewildered look, he rolled his eyes.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of pixies,” he said. “You know, dewdrop fairies? Tiny glowing people with wings who live in the Nevernever?”

I was speechless. Nevernever...wasn’t that from Peter Pan? I had watched the Soviet version as a kid, and could vaguely remember the tiny glowing fairy…

Light and Dark...there was so much about magic in America that I didn’t know. Was Peter Pan real? 

No. That was taking things too far. 

Dresden was still trying, his arms flung out in front of him. “Toot-Toot, this is the Za Lord speaking! Come here at once! Your services are required!”

I was at a loss. On the one hand, he looked completely insane. But on the other hand, I hadn’t even known faeries existed until that morning. I didn’t even know what they looked like, so who was to say that these winged people didn’t exist... 

Dresden let his arms fall and gave me an irritated look. “It’s because you’re here,” he muttered. “That’s why he doesn’t want to show up.”

“Because  _ I’m  _ here? Why?”

“Because you don’t even believe he’s real!” Dresden snapped. “You think I’m a nutjob. Don’t you?”

“No…” I said cautiously. “Can...can other people see him, or just you?”

Dresden scowled. “Why should I tell you? You’ll just call your buddies to lock me up in the loony bin.”

I was starting to get annoyed myself. “No one is going to lock you up,” I said impatiently. “You’re not important enough. Now calm down -”

He was getting really angry. I could sense Power swirling and pulsing around him. When I looked through the Twilight, he was obscured by a spiralling column of orange light. The whole room was flooded with Power, and in the real world, the lights were starting to flicker. I felt my irritation mount. Only novice magicians bothered with silly effects like that. 

“Hey!” I said sharply. “Leave the lights alone-”

“Why don’t you just leave? There’s no point staying if you think I’m crazy!”

“Look, Dresden -” I broke off suddenly as the lights stopped flickering and began to grow brighter. They shone a blazing white, so bright I could hardly look at them -

“Stop playing with the lights!” I shouted. “They’re going to -”

All the bulbs blew out at once. The room was suddenly plunged in darkness. I could see the glowing afterimages of the bulbs hovering before my eyes. We stood there in silence for a few moments. 

“Well done,” I snapped. “I hope you’re pleased with yourself.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose, asshole! ”

It was probably a good thing I couldn’t see where he was, or I might have tried to fight him. As it was, I decided that I’d had enough of the American for one evening. The man had been nothing but trouble since he’d gotten off the plane, and now he was calling me names. First thing tomorrow, I would explain to Gesar what had happened and he’d put him on a plane to where he belonged. 

“Good night, Mr. Dresden,” I said coldly. “I’ll leave you alone now. Maybe this creature of yours will put in an appearance when I’m gone.”


End file.
